Are you feeling alright?
by mangogodess
Summary: All work and no play make Riot a sick boy.
1. Chapter 1

Eric!!"Riot roared into the phone."I asked for those budget documents yesterday. Why is there a delay??"

Riot, not having a patient bone in his being was not accustomed to waiting for anything .When he asked for something he got it. That was just the way it was. More often then not it arrived on a silver platter.

He was barely listening now while Eric doled out explanations the singer deemed pathetic.

"I'm not interested in your excuses" Riot sneered over the phone "Just get them to me by the end of the day" He hung up abruptly.

Riot ran his hand through his mane of blond hair and sighed. Having to deal with incompetent music execs like Eric was a small price for everything he had achieved.

Riot , born Rory Llywellyn , was the lead singer of the stingers. One of the most popular bands in the main steam music scene. He along with his female counterparts Minx and Rapture dominated the air waves and video screens with their pop rock sound. He was considered a sex symbol by most women It seemed his air of superiority and arrogance was invisible to any of those he set his charms upon.

Not only was he a gifted musician but also a successful business man. When Eric Raymond had offered him half ownership of the music company in a deal to sign The Stingers he accepted.

He understood Eric and felt about him as he did most people. He could control him. However Eric was just as devious as Riot and the two sometimes bumped heads.

Riot did not like when things did not go his way. It stressed him out and right now that was the last thing he needed. There was a band rehearsal that evening and a meeting the next morning about The Stingers newest video and there was lunch with the investors of their up coming tour. They also had signed on for a benefit show for starlight foundation which was coming up at the end of the week.

There was a sudden draft in the office and Riot shivered slightly. Not a surprise as he was wearing leather pants and a white shirt open at the chest. On most it would be uncomfortably cheesy but he pulled it off to perfection. It didn't hurt that his body was what people would compare to a Greek god's.

He turned the air conditioning off and went back to his desk to finish approving finances on the bands latest wardrobe collection. Ah yes being a rock star had it's perks

3 hours 1 headache and 2 Advil's later Riot was exhausted

He got up from the desk and stretched. He felt very stiff and sore. He clasped his hand round the back of his neck and began to knead the joints in an attempt to loosen out the kinks.

"ow!"

He glanced at the wall clock and realized he was late. Oh well things didn't start until he arrived anyway. Rapture and Minx would understand. They always did.

"I don't understand whats keeping him" Rapture complained.

She and Minx were sitting on one of the couches in rehearsal studio. " I mean he was in the office all day today. How long does it take to ride an elevator to the 6Th floor?"

Annoyed she gathered up the tarot deck she had arranged to give Minx a reading and hastily began to shuffle them

Minx shrugged her slender shoulders. "who cares? He will get here when he gets here. I'm sure there is some reason for the hold up"

At that moment the door opened and Riot came through.

"Sorry I'm late ladies. I was in the office working out the budget for our latest costumes. I guarantee you'll be impressed with what I've come up with"

"I'm sure we will" Minx agreed

"Yes Riot" Rapture chimed in "You always have the best ideas."

Riot smiled. "Well, lets not waste any more time"

They set up their instruments and began practising. Minx on electronic Synthesizer,

Rapture Playing bass and Riot on lead vocals and guitar.

They began to play but something was amiss. Their usual perfection was not coming across.

Rapture's bass went silent. She set it down and looked at her band members quizzically. "Somethings wrong" She announced

"I can see that. I think it's the fact you've stopped playing" Riot chided

"I mean ..we sound off"

"Nonsense. We never sound off"

"Riot. I think she's right. I heard it too" Minx said hesitantly

"Well I told you not to buy that new keyboard. You're old one sounded just fine"

Rapture and Minx just looked at each other. They knew it wasn't them. It was Riot. He had been singing ever so slightly off key since they started. To the untrained ear no one would notice. But in their band they knew each others harmonies and musical arrangements so well that even the slightest solecism stuck out like a sore thumb.

Neither of them wanted to say anything. To criticize Riot was suicide. Thankfully much of his believed perfection was true at, least to his faithful band mates. But when the rare time came in which there was a minor flaw that needed correction well... no one wanted that job.

"Never mind. Lets take it from "Under My Spell" Riot instructed. They continued until Riot hit a note so sour that this time he stopped.

"Excuse me" He coughed "I must have a frog in my throat" He admitted somewhat embarrassingly.

It wasn't like Riot to make mistakes and it was even less like him to admit it. Something was up.

"Why don't we take five?" Minx suggested sitting down on the couch again.

"That's a good idea" Rapture agreed joining her.

Riot sighed. "If we must." Secretly he was glad for the break. His headache had come back full force and his joints still ached. He took a seat across from the girls.

"I have an idea" I'll read your cards. Without bothering to hear an answer Rapture began placing the cards on the table.

"Rapture you know I don't go for that kind of stuff."

"Oh come on Riot" Minx purred " let her have her fun"

"You're only saying that cause you don't want it to be you" He smirked.

"I didn't say anything" She made a helpless gesture with her hands and laughed

"OK" He said turning his attention to Rapture "what have we got? But let's make this fast we still have to rehearse and I'm beat. I think I may even have to go back to the office and finish up some paperwork"

"You have to go back?" Rapture said in disbelief " Are you kidding me? You've worked all day already and don't we have a meeting early in the morning with those investor guys?

"Yes we do but your forgetting as part owner in the company I have a bigger stake in this game then you. I cant afford to let things fall by the wayside"

"Exactly! And that's why you should go home early tonight and get a good nights rest. Imagine how it would look if you fell asleep in the middle of the conference?"

'I assure you thaahhhehEH-CHEW!!" Riot sneezed suddenly and without warning catching himself completely off guard.

"Oh my goodness! Excuse me. I don't know where that came from" Riot brought his hand to his nose and sniffed slightly.

"I do!" Rapture cried. She stared at Riot intently and help up a single tarot card. :The nine of swords

"Look" She insisted.

Riot looked at her and then the card. "Would you like to enlighten those of us that aren't spiritually inclined"

She put on the voice she used when she wanted to instill intrigue and mystery. Which truth be told sounded completely lame " This card means inability to handle two situations at once that are in opposition and may possibly mean illness."

"Oh come'on" Minx said standing up and taking the card to examine it.

" How can a silly little card predict ..well ..anything?"

"These cards hold a mystic power and only those that are gifted enough can use them to predict the future" She said still doing "the voice"

"Rapture don't be boring. I sneezed. That's it. It doesn't mean I'm getting sick"

" The cards can be used as a warning" She said returning to her normal voice " It doesn't necessary mean your getting sick but if you are you should use this message as a precaution to just take it easy."

"I've had enough of this. I don't need cards to tell me what to do. If you dont mind I think id like to get back to practise ..or perhaps you'd like to consult your deck first to see if that's ok" Riot was the king of sarcasm.


	2. Chapter 2

They resumed the rehearsal but there was feeling of tension in the air. Riot was obviously in a foul mood. Minx was pissed with Rapture for being the cause. And Rapture was sulking cause Minx always took Riot's side. They soon decided to call it a night.

"I guess I'll see you two tomorrow. I'm going back upstairs to finish up those documents"

The three said farewell and parted ways.

Riot rode the elevator to the 10Th floor of Stinger Sound and started toward his office. By this time the whole floor was dark and he had to turn on all the lights before he entered the suite. The contrasting brightness hurt his eyes, he squinted and squeezed them shut momentarily.

He made his way over to the desk and found the pile of papers resting neatly just as he had left them.

He sat down and smiled to himself as the lyrics to Jem's song " Getting down to business" ran through his head. Ahhhh Jem. His dearest darling Jem. Ever since he had met the singer he could not take his mind mind off her. He was obsessed. Never had anyone so stubbornly resisted his advances. He found it refreshing. He could have any women he chose but where was the fun in that? No Jem was different. She was the prize that was worth winning. It was only a matter of time. He would see her soon at the benefit concert for her foundation Starlight house. It was just days away and he couldn't wait.

He began to shift through the stack of files. Slowly but surely he manged to sort , review and sign all the required documentation for a few of the new bands the company had just signed on.

It was time to go home and thank god for that. He was more then just tired. He felt completely drained. And although his headache had eased it's invariable presence had not.

Riot turned out the lights got in his car and went home.

Despite the countless starlets he had made in that very location he had never seen his bed look so inviting. He collided with it in a flourish and was out like a light.

Riot slept fitfully that night. Awakening intermittently to vexing darkness.

And that's when the nightmares began.

He was choking again. He couldn't breathe. Gasping for breath he struggled for any intake of air. CoUgHiNg cOuGhInG CoUgHiNg. It hurt to draw breath. It Hurt TOO MUCH.

TOo muCh too MucH it's jUSt ToO MuCh

He heard Minx's voice "Hold on Riot were almost there"

He was in a bed now. A bed?abed? But/there/were/NOBEDS/when/your/on/theStrEEts.

And why was he so WARM when it was the dead of winter.

another VOICE ...

this time...Rapture's??

"you'll be fine"

And another (voice)!!

"Luck KEY...Justin Thyme ...NewmoanYAh"

Riot awoke drenched in sweat and panting. It was the same dream again: Winter in Germany 1985. After busking and living on the streets a simple cough can turn to something much worse. In this case, pneumonia. He almost died. If it hadn't been for Rapture and Minx he would have. They got him to a hospital. It was almost too late.

Yeah, it's a hard, hard life.

He closed his eyes and succumbed to his restless slumber ,more erratic now then ever.

The sunlight seeped through the blinds of Riot's penthouse condo. Awaking wildly he expected to find himself immersed in blackness yet again, only to be consoled by the horrid reality of morning.

Riot looked at the clock and groaned. He hadn't slept well and he was still in a sleep fog. Which is probably why he didn't notice right away that Rapture's Prediction the previous night had come true.

He got up and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He moved sluggishly and began to realize that his headache had not left. Nor had his stiff joints. In fact it appeared they had worsened altogether. He swallowed: Odd. His throat felt dry and cracked. If he didn't know better it actually seemed ...sore? And why was his nose so blocked?

'No'. Riot thought.

' No!' His mind repeated with urgency.

'This. Is. Not. Happening.'

'I am not'...and as if with the realization itself his body seemed to relinquish control.

"Hehchooo!!"

'No'

"Hhharrish!! HarrAshhHHeeww!!

'NO!'

"HehhhheHITCHSHooo!! AHHkighxt!!ETTCHEW!! Ugh. sniieefff"

Riot sighed. There was no denying it.. He was ill. Why now? There was too much to do!!

Blast it! Of all the inconvenient times to get sick.

He looked in the mirror his eyes were rimmed with shades of pink they looked tired and he rubbed at them

koff khoff Koff Great he was coughing now too!! He cleared his throat which was beginning to feel raw.

All in all he felt like crap. The meeting was in 1 hour. He would just have to grin and bear it.


	3. Chapter 3

He got dressed carefully. Normally he would wear one of his flamboyant outfits. He always like to pardon the pun cause a riot where ever he went. But today he simply wore a black ribbed turtle neck sweater and black jeans. He honestly did not think he could pull of his ubiquitous black and yellow frock coat and skin tight pants feeling as he did. He pocketed a travel pack of tissues and was out the door.

Minx and Rapture sat at the table in the board room of the Stinger Sound Offices.

They were joined by a couple of stuffy men in suits, a video director, prop designer and a women who like the suits was of an indeterminable position.

They expected Riot any minute. He was late. Again.

In the meantime Rapture was stroking a gold statue of Bast the the cat goddess. She had brought it with her and set it directly inf front of her when she first took her seat When asked what she was doing she looked around the room dramatically and explained that for their new video she wanted to invoke the spirit of the feline Egyptian idol. The video was for for their new song "Egyptian Eyes"

Minx smiled fondly at her friend. What a kook Rapture was. You was never really knew when she was being serious or pulling a hoax but her friends knew all too well that Rapture got a kick out of making others believe her nonsense . Catching her smile Rapture gave her band mate a knowing glance and winked

The minutes ticked by

Minx soon turned her attention to the cute young videographer sitting next to her

"So darling" Minx murmured in her sexy Russian accent."What are you doing later tonight?" Much to his regret he never got to answer the question as the final member of the Stingers arrived

"Hello everyone. My apologies for being late" Riot's trademark velvety voice sounded strained and painfully hoarse.

A series of greetings went around the room. He took a set at the head of the table.

They began to discuss the plans for the video in regard to concepts and wardrobe and location ideas. The meeting seemed to drone on and one. where as Riot would usually be the centre of all the discussion he couldn't seem to concentrate today. What he did notice that anytime he coughed or sniffled either Minx or Rapture would look at him questioningly Was he that obviously unwell?

"Well how authentic to you want to play this thing? The director asked " Do you think we should shoot on location in Egypt?" Riot had been feeling need to sneeze even before the question was asked. It had been there torturing his nostrils for a few minutes now and Riot was doing his best to keep it at bay. He was about to answer and all at once it came over him. He held up 1 finger as if to say hold on and then turned away just in time to sneeze in the cook of his arm.

"HEheegChoo!!"

Riot dug out the pack of tissues and turned his back to the room while he blew his nose. He tried to be as discreet as possible. He turned back around and smiled as charismatically as possible

"Yes Egypt sounds quite fantastic actually." He tried to sound enthusiastic.

"great" The suit said." we will start working on the exact location immediately. Any specific monuments you might like to have in the video"

Why did they keep asking him questions? His nose twitched. He needed to sneeze again. Badly He put his finger above his top lip in an attempt to ward the sneeze off. It did not seem to be helping

"Pardon me . I ..I'm..Ahhchhish!!...Hhemmph!!Achoo..." He tried to answer the question but the sneezes did not stop there. Nope. They were persistent. "hiitchew! hatchooo! Heeressh!! Hinxt AHHTCHEW" He grabbed a tissue from his back pocket and turned away again as he tried to clear the resulting congestion. It came out sounding much louder then intended and when he finally turned around his cheeks were rosy with embarrassment. Everyone was staring.

"Bless you." The room chorused.

"It seems my allergy of cats has extended to the brass variety as well." Riot said indicating Rapture's replica of Bast and trying to make light of the situation.

He was not about to admit he was ill. Not to a room full of business executives. What? And ruin his unquestionable perfection? Not a chance.

He took his seat once more and willed himself to pay attention despite his fatigued condition.

It was not an easy task. His mind was more focused on trying to preserve his illusion of health. He sat upright although his head felt weary. He cleared his throat to keep from coughing. And this time with any sign of a sneeze he excused himself under the guise of going to the bathroom.

This was his 2nd time. He left the office and headed down the corridor to the public rest rooms.

He entered the men's room and sat huddled in the stall sneezing sneeze after sneeze until the fit had past. He rubbed his temples and sighed. He just wanted to go home curl up in his bed and sleep.

But first he had to get through this meeting. He wiped his nose and without looking casually threw the tissue over his shoulder. It landed directly in the garbage. Of course!

The meeting ended shortly after. Everyone filed out and he was left alone with Rapture and Minx.

"So that was productive" Minx said sarcastically."Americans! Their ideas are so mundane"

"We cant just use the same rehashed cliches that everyone has seen a million times. What did they think we would be like 'ohhh look he has a suit. He must be important. Lets listen to his stupid boring old suggestions. I cant believe they didn't like my idea of me changing into a cat and..."

"Enough both of you!! I have a throbbing headache and listening to the two of you is just making it worse!"

Both blond girls looked at Riot. His snappish attitude was as famous as his voice but not usually to them. Well at least ,not as often.

He usually revelled in mocking the music executives he felt were beneath him.

The three of them would always come away from meetings laughing and making fun of their small minded views and pathetic concepts.

"So I figured we would all go to our next meeting together" Rapture suggested

"At least these people have taste. They recognize true talent when they see it. Investing in a Stingers clothing line is a fantastic idea." Minx said arrogantly.

"The next meeting!!" Riot exclaimed as it dawned on him " I totally forgot about that"

"You haven't made other plans have you?" Minx enquired.

Riot sighed heavily. "Well actually yes. I have a date with my bed"

"who's the lucky lady?" Rapture leered

At this Riot couldn't help but laugh. His laughter soon turned to harsh ragged sounding coughs.

Minx and Rapture looked at him with concern but said nothing although they both wanted to. Dealing with Riot was sometimes a tricky situation. He was proud, he was stubborn and if he didn't want to admit he was sick then they weren't going to say anything.

"I'm sick" Riot admitted. "As if both of you couldn't already tell. I'm going to do what I should have done yesterday and get some rest." He paused and then looked at Rapture and said " I should have listened to you"

"Well the important thing now is to rest up and get well. Remember we have a concert in a few days" Rapture shook her finger at him in mock scold.

" As if I've forgotten? Jem is going to be there. Any opportunity to see her is one where I can convince her she shall be mine If I am to get well it shall be for her and for her alone"

Oh yes! Riot really did talk like this.

The girls just rolled their eyes.

"Don't forget about your own band or anything" Minx said hotly

What was it about Jem that held such power over Riot?

They had no idea. Jem should have realized ages ago how perfect he was. Oh well. One day she would get it.

"I'm leaving now. Be good little girls and take notes at the meeting" He was only half serious.

"of course" Minx said. Little did Riot know they had plans of their own

When Riot arrived at home the first thing he did was change out of his clothes and don a pair of black silk pyjamas and matching robe. For comforts sake he tied back his wild blond tresses.

He could not wait to get into bed.

Trying to maintain a picture of health had taken it's toll now he felt worse then even!

It seemed to happen all at once. His limbs felt unpleasantly cold , he began to shiver and shake. It seemed his whole body was suddenly made of ice. Shivering all the while he walked over to the fire place and slumped to the ground beside the hearth . A couple of attempts later he had a fire roaring.

He made it over to the bed and crawled beneath the warm feather down duvet. He wrapped the blanket around himself tightly trying to block out any trance of cool air that dared to invade his protected warmth.

He lay there and tried to go to sleep. He felt uncomfortable . He switched positions. It helped little. He tired again but to no avail. He began tossing and turning in frustration unable to find any position that did not leaving him feeling constrained. He tried to lay still when..."HhehIISSShhoo!" He sneezed abruptly and he went to grab a Kleenex only to realize he did not have any by his bed. He cursed, flung back the covers angrily and trudged over to the bathroom and grabbed a box of tissues. He felt another devious tickle in his nose on way down the hall. He stopped mid step. "Hehh..." He inhaled faintly but as the sensation grew stronger his breath become more severe "HEH..EhhhhEAH..." He snatched a tissue from the box and covered his face just in time..."HAIIIeeeISHOOOO" The sneeze was deafening and he doubled over with the effort. It caused a ringing in his ears and left his already irritated throat stinging. Once in bed again he blew his nose and winced. Along with everything else it now seemed tender and raw.

Riot lay there feeling very sorry for himself indeed. He felt 100 percent dreadful 'Look how perfect I am now' He thought ruefully to himself ' Perfectly miserable'

and if this little scene wasn't enough for him to O.D.on self pity he began coughing once again. Deep and heavy they shook him and when finished he took a shaky breath and felt light headed. Riot whimpered. He couldn't have seemed more pathetic if he tried.


	4. Chapter 4

He snuggled under the covers and prayed for sleep. Finally so exhausted , he was a ripe claim for the Sandman.

At 5pm Riot woke up. He looked at the clock and realized he had slept most of the day although he still felt tired. He put his hand to his head and groaned ' Would this headache ever go away?!' He just wanted to lay in bed but he was thristry. He got out of bed slowly and went to see what there was in the fridge. Yup. Just what he thought: Nothing! Being a celebrity ,he rarely was at home and even when he was he was not cooking! He usually had a chef come in and prepare something if he wanted to dine in. He even knew a few who would come at a moments notice Unfortunately there was nothing to drink either. His mouth felt parched and his throat was noticeably more sore. He was just reaching for a glass to fill with water when he sneezed suddenly into his arm. "Hacitcho!" He set the glass down. "Ah heh..Ehsitcho!" This time into his hands. And then another sneeze! "heheHHEHChoo!!" He was trying to get to the tissues by his bed but they would not stop.  
"AhhtisshooOO!! HeptChooo! Knixt!" Sneezing and walking was not an easy thing to do but finally he made it. "haah...hehh..Choo! HiiiSHHIhoo!MMMurmph!!Heh -Chhaa!!"One after the other they came and Riot sat perched on his bed pulling out tissue after tissue to capture each one as the sneezes came fast and furious. And finally they were done. He sniffed roughly and blew his nose feeling like it was the hundredth time. He sank back in bed weaker now then ever. It was such a wonder how being sick reduced you to such a helpless being.  
It was at that moment the phone rang. Riot picked up the receiver realizing how heavy it felt in his frail condition.  
"Hello?" Riot croaked  
"May I speak to...Riot? Is that you?"  
"Who the hell else would id be?. sniiff. I'b the only wud thad lives here"  
"That's true". she said reasonable. "How are you feeling?"  
"Called to gloat have you"?  
"Noooo. I called to tell you me and Minx and coming over. We'll be there in 10min"  
and before Riot could protest Rapture hung up!

Riot set the phone on the receiver and buried under the blankets. Maybe if he fell asleep again he wouldn't hear them knock. That would never work. It seemed he couldn't win. I mean it was only Minx and Rapture now if it had been Pizazz well that would have been another story all together. Images of moats and boarded up doors with chains and locks came to mind in that scenario. He got up and unlocked the door and hopped into bed again.  
He awoke to the sound of knocking.  
"Id's ophead" He said as loud as he could and swallowed in pain.  
A moment later he heard them enter and come down the hall.  
He also over hear Rapture say to Minx " I told you he sounded like crap"  
He was sick but he wasn't deaf.  
They found their beloved leader laying in bed. Covers hiked up to his chin and surrounded by tissues. His normally immaculate appearance was in disarray. His hair was pulled back and he had loose stands and fly aways everywhere. His nose was doing an impression of Jem's hair and was completely pink. It seemed quite chapped as well. His cheeks were flushed and stood out amongst his otherwise horribly pale complexion. And last but not least his eyes were watery and seemed glazed with fever. All in all Riot did NOT look at all like Riot!

Minx and Rapture on the other hand looked amazing. They were both dressed identically in matching nurse outfits that were comprised of black PVC with yellow vinyl crosses on their hats and aprons.

"what in the world are you girls wearing" Riot asked incredulously

Minx laughed and spun around.  
"Don't you remember? We wore them on our last tour for the song "Are You Feeling Alright?".  
"We thought they would be perfect" Rapture beamed  
"We' ve come to take of you!" Minx said ecstatically  
" That's right. If you want to be healthy in time for the show we thought some extra TLC couldn't hurt!"


	5. Chapter 5

"this is all very thoughtful of you girls but really I'm sure ill be fine on my own" Riot made a move to get up to politely escort the two out but when he sat up the room started spinning.  
He was overcome by a feeling of dizziness that was quite disorienting.  
"Ohhh! My head" Riot moaned as his hand went to to his temple. Minx gently eased him down again in bed. And tucked him neatly under the comforter.  
"There , there! She said in what she hoped were soothing tones "You need to stay in bed"  
"That never happen before" Riot said in his defense looking quite sheepish.  
"Were here to help you Ok? So just relax. We have everything under control" Rapture explained and then went to the hall way and brought back two giant brown paper bags. She set them on the counter in the kitchen. Minx joined her and soon they were playing show and tell with all the stuff they had bought for Riot.  
"Apple juice!" Minx announced and got out a glass from the cupboard and poured the amber liquid in. Placing a straw inside She went down the hall to his room and stood by Riots bedside.  
"I thought your supposed to have orange juice when your sick?"  
"Ha" Minx spat bitterly " Stupid American customs. The acid in the oranges will only burn your throat if it's irritated and there is just as much vitamin C in apple juice.. She held the glass level to Riot's head and urged him to take the straw. His eyes were like daggers but he complied. It tasted wonderful. And she was right Orange juice did always seem to burn when his throat was sore.  
"Thank you Minx. That was very refreshing"  
"See I told you!" Minx left the room and Rapture stepped in "We brought you chicken soup too" she said showing Riot the can. Have you had anything to eat at all today?"  
"I haven't been very hungry" He admitted  
"Well at least your drinking liquids. If you do get hungry let me know. I make the best canned soup you ever tasted"  
Riot smiled "Will do". He coughed softly and cleared is throat a couple of times.  
"A-ha!" Rapture announced. She got up and left and when she returned she came back with three different types of throat lozenges. "we didn't know what kind you wanted so we got menthol, honey lemon and cherry."  
Riot was about to answer but stopped. Rapture could see he was about to sneeze. He sniffed a few time and his lips parted expectantly. His face wore a desperate expression. his brow furrowing all the while. He gasped for a breath and then another. His eyes snapped shut and he surrendered to the unstoppable force. "Heeyaahh ...HEH Choo!!" He grabbed a tissue  
"Bless you!"  
"Th-th thank..." Riot tired but failed to get out the words as another sneeze was there just seconds behind the first "Hinxt"  
he stifled it painfully against his wrist. Again he was about to speak when he obviously felt the seemingly endless tickle "Oh doe!" He manged "Dot again" This time he exploded with a full cascade of sneezes. "Ugh!! Excuse Be! I'b so sick of sdneezing" Riot complained his voice thick with congestion. He sighed and blew his nose.  
"Oh Riot you really do sound awful!" Rapture looked at him with pity.  
"Thanks alot" He said his voice muffled behind the tissue  
"I'm serious. Maybe we should call them and cancel the show"  
"But what about Jem. I gave her my word. No! We cannot cancel the show. We still have a few days. Im sure ill be better by then. I have to do this. I must do this for Jem" He paused thoughtfully. "You know" He said smiling that charismatic smile of his. " I'm wondering just how good the best can of soup ive ever had will taste?"  
Rapture smiled. "you got it!" Rapture got up and left and Minx came in holding a box of tissues. "I figured you could use these as well"  
"Really? I wonder where you got that idea" Riot said playfully  
"I also got you this" MInx said and took out a stuffed toy of a bumble bee from behind her back. "it was so cute I couldn't resist and after all we are The Stingers"  
Riot chucked "Thank you Minx. Its very...fitting"  
Rapture joined both of them in the room. " The soups on the stove but in the meantime I thought you may want to try this"  
Rapture pulled an old fashioned looking bottle out of her purse. " This special medicine has ancient medicinal herbs and was passed down from my great aunt who was a gypsy."  
"Rapture cut it out. Im really not in the mood"  
"No Riot it's true" Minx said backing up her friend. "Once I had this horrible flu and I thought the same thing. But it really worked. I told her to bring it"  
"Alright" He said. He took the bottle and lifted out the cork. He took an experimentle sniff. "Oh my god that's foul" He said wrinkling his nose in disgust.  
" I know it smells bad but it really works"  
"You better be right" He took a macho swig and gagged. It was the most horrid concoction he had ever tasted. He grabbed the apple juice off the night stand to wash it down.  
" Your soup better be as good as this stuff is bad


	6. Chapter 6

" I've never had any complaints before" She proclaimed. " Id better see how its doing"  
She left Minx and Riot alone.  
Minx sat on the edge of Riot's bed and watched him curiously. He was very quiet which was odd for him. He lay still and seemed smaller somehow,metaphorical speaking. She was used to Riot always taking charge and giving the orders and as she regarded him laying in bed it felt so unusual to be the one taking care of him for once. She wasn't sure if she liked it or not.  
"Are you ok?" Minx asked softly  
"yeah. Sure. I'm just fine" He said evasively Minx knew him well enough to detect the bitterness underneath.  
"Do you resent that we are trying to care for you Riot? she asked him straight forwardly  
"No. Your both being very sweet. Well other then the fact that Rapture is trying to kill me with that vile mixture" Minx laughed. At least he still had a sense of humour.  
"It's just that I don't like being sick" He confessed.  
"No one does"  
"Well It's more then that. I don't think I'm very good at it!"  
Minx smothered a giggle  
"Oh Riot! Don't worry you cant be good at everything.I'm going to go help Rapture. If you need anything just call"  
"Hey why don't I have one of those little bells?"  
" Because Ive seen too many TV shows to know how that's going to turn out"

Minx came into the Kitchen and was met with the most delicious aroma. "Wow that smells fantastic. Ive never smelled canned soup like that before in my whole life"  
"I know!" She said proudly "it's my secret recipe"  
"Oh let me guess... snips and snails and puppy dogs tails"  
"Does that mean you don't want any?"  
" It does smell seriously good but I think we should make sure there is enough for Riot first"  
"Well it's almost done. How is he?" As if to answer their question they heard a loud sneeze from the direction of his bedroom.  
"Bless you" They both said in unison.  
"I guess that answers my question huh?" Rapture said.  
"Well I'm going to unpack the rest of the stuff we bought. When do you think we should tell him we're staying the night"  
"Maybe he'll be too sick too notice"  
"Ha. Yeah right."

Minx headed toward the hallway and Rapture let the soup simmer a couple of minutes before it was done.

Riot stayed put in bed. He felt very helpless and he did not like it at all. He would have again protested against his female companions company but in truth he was starting to think he needed it and that was the scariest part of all. He felt so weak he couldn't even imagine getting out of bed anymore. His head continued to pound. and even the dim lighting in his room seemed to make the pain worse. He wished he was in a dark silent room. Alone. He felt trapped. Starting to shiver he buried down deep in his blankets and curled into a fetal position.

Back in the kitchen Rapture found a ladle and transferred the soup into a bowl for her patient.  
She approached his room and knocked... Nothing. She tired knocking a little louder.  
Still nothing. She opened the door to find Riot underneath the covers shivering dreadfully.  
"Riot?" she whispered. She heard him mumbled something  
"What? She asked in a hushed tone  
"I'm cold. Did you turn down the heat?"  
"Are you kidding. Its boiling in here."  
"I'm f-f f- freezing" He stuttered.  
" I brought you some soup. That will warm you up" Rapture said still speaking softly  
" I don't want it. I've lost my appet-t-t-tite"  
"Are you sure?"  
"I just want to be warm. Whats wrong with me?"  
"Don't worry" She said warmly "Ill get you another blanket"  
Rapture came out of the bedroom and saw Minx. "Whats wrong?" Minx asked as she saw the worried look on her friends face. I just went to give Riot the soup I made and he didn't want any at all. He was shivering really bad. I think he's getting worse.  
"oh no. Really?"  
"I'm just getting him a blanket. Go make sure hes alright"  
"ok"  
Minx went back to his room and found Riot laying still. He wasn't shivering anymore. Which was a good sign. On closer inspection she saw he was bathed in perspiration.  
"I'm too hot. I think Rapture turned up the heat too much"  
She took a seat beside him and tentatively put her hand to his forehead. It was scotching hot to the touch. she recoiled in surprise. "Oh god! Riot your burning up!!"  
Rapture came in just then with the blankets only to see a pile of similar ones on the floor.  
"what happened?"  
"I'm sick. That's what happened. I have a fever. I feel like st. and ..." He couldn't finish as a coughing fit took hold of him. It sounded very wet and deep and serious. His eyes watered from the effort  
He stopped and gasped for a breath. and then he sank back on his pillow and reached for a remaining blanket on his bed for security and held it tightly to himself.  
"I really don't feel well." He said sounding completely defeated


	7. Chapter 7

"Poor thing" Rapture cooed as she carefully stroked his forehead.  
Minx got up and told the two she would be right back.  
She reappeared with a bowl of cool water, a wash cloth. and a thermometer which she handed to Rapture. She set the bowl beside the soup on the table by the bed and dipped the small towel in. She wrung it out and began to caress his forehead.  
"I'm going to take your temperature " Rapture instructed. "Ok?"  
"Yes, fine" He snapped sounding irritated. His patience for this whole scene was wearing thin. Why couldn't they just leave him alone?  
She placed the instrument underneath his tongue as he rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
"Now you have to leave it place for at least 3 minutes"  
Riot didn't say anything but his eyes spoke volumes. They looked at her condescendingly as if to say ' I'm not an idiot'  
After about two minutes Riot felt his nose began to twitch. Rapture could see the urgency in his eyes. Recognizing the signs she said "If you need to sneeze try holding it back. You just have 1 minute to go"  
He sniffled a few times when that didn't work he gave his nose a violent rub and held his knuckle under the bridge. He felt the tickle worse then ever. He began to inhale in short and quick breaths.It was clear he was losing the battle as he fought off the increasing teasing sensation of the sneeze. He tried to hold out as long as he could but when he could bear it no longer he pulled out the thermometer just in time to sneeze 3 times in succession. He turned to Minx and between drastic breaths gasped "wh- whats wrong with you? H-h-hand me the t-t-tissues for christs-s- -sakes!! She complied as Riot rudely snatched the box from her. "HehCHOO!, IIIiiisssSHHeewww!! ,Choo!SNiiiFFF ,Eptchew!"  
"Gah!" Riot growled in frustration. "I don't thing I cad take eddie bore of this" He sniffled miserably. He was about to blow his nose when he paused. He seemed hesitant and almost fearful. By this time his nostrils had turned from pink to a serious scarlet. Rapture could just imagine how sensitive and sore they were. He relented and blew his nose resulting in a very liquid like sound. He winced afterwards.  
"That looks painful" She said in sympathy  
"Have you ever skinned your knee and had layers of skin come off?" He asked rhetorically  
"Imagine touching that raw exposed flesh and having to rub it constantly"  
Rapture did and cringed  
Riot looked at her coldly. "That's how it feels" He said to her as if it was her fault  
Minx and Rapture could both tell that Riot's temperament was going downhill fast.  
What else could they expect. On a good day he was ill mannered to most. Unless he wanted something from them. Of course both girls were the exception but who else did he have to take his bad mood out on

Minx picked up the thermometer from Riot's bed where he had discarded it. She took a look and her brow furrowed.  
"well?" Riot looked at her through narrowed eyes. " What does it say?" he asked full of contempt.  
"103"  
"what? That's impossible! Let me see!" He demanded as he grabbed the glass tube from her hand. He glanced at it and realized what she said was true " I don't believe this. You must have done it wrong!" He accused furiously pointing in Rapture's direction.  
Rapture sighed and took a deep breath. "look Riot..." She began " It's not wrong. Your sick. it's not your fault..."  
"Of course it's not my fault" He interrupted. " It's yours!"  
Rapture laughed bitterly " How is this MY fault?" She asked baiting him.  
"Your the one with the tarot cards. You probably put some gypsy hex on me" Riot knew he was talking nonsense. He knew what he was saying was absurd. He didn't care. He was mad and he wanted to blame someone. Something. Anything! It was so unfair! Why did he have to get sick. Things like this weren't supposed to happen to HIM. He was after all "Riot!" That in itself was enough explanation.  
"I thought you didn't even believe in stuff like that?!" Rapture shot back  
"Well it turns out I was wrong!" He shouted.  
" Guys!" Minx announced " This is no time to fight"  
" He started it" Rapture pouted  
"You are both behaving like children" She pulled Rapture aside and whispered harshly  
"what are you doing? Riot's ill. Do you want to make him worse"  
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me."  
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him!"  
Rapture pursed her lips and gave Minx a look but turned around and walked back over to where Riot lay. He really did look pathetic and she immediately began to feel guilty.  
"Look " she began and almost had a deja vu. " I'm sorry. I Iost my temper and I,I'm sorry" She finished.  
"Forgiven" Riot said simply with a dismissive wave of his hand before coughing into it.  
"Is there anything we can get for you?" Minx asked him kindly.  
"Yes! Some piece and quiet would be nice!"  
Rapture did not need to be told twice.  
"If you want anything we will just be in the next room" she said quickly walking out with Minx behind her. she was thankful to be out of there. Riot seemed like a ticking time bomb.  
"God hes cranky!"  
"How happy are you when your sick? Minx challenged. "You know how people get when they aren't well"  
"I'm not nearly as volatile as that"  
"Well lets just try to be patient. It's not that serious. Just a bad cold. He should be ok in a few days. Hopefully in time for our show."  
"Lets hope so. For all our sakes."  
And no sooner had Rapture spoken those very words then she heard her name bellowed from inside the blond singers bedroom.  
"Rapture! come here at once!"  
She smiled a smile as cheerful as it was fake. "His majesty calls"  
She crossed the hall to his room all the while grumbling to herself  
"Yes Riot?" She enquired with a sweetness she didn't feel.  
" This soup. It's cold"  
"I thought you didn't want it"  
"Yes, well I changed my mind."  
"Fine." she said shortly. " I'll warm it up." she took the soup from the table turned to leave and then thought better of it and before Riot could ask anything else of her she faced him again. " Anything else before I go?"  
"No that will be all. You may leave now"  
"Yes master." She muttered under her breath.  
" What was that?" Riot asked  
"Oh nothing." she answered casually.

She returned to the kitchen feeling very much like a yo yo.  
"I need to warm up the soup. Its cold"  
"Guess he changed his mind. Well at least he has an appetite. That's a good sign"  
"How much you wanna bet he wont eat it"  
"Why don't I bring it to him before you two kill each other" Minx suggested.  
She didn't like the way Riot was acting anymore then Rapture did. But she recognized a potentially bad situation The last thing she wanted was the two at each other throats. That wouldn't do at all!. Anything she could do to prevent that, she would. When the soup had resumed it's previous temperature she took it back to the room. She knocked and when she didn't hear anything she entered to the room to find Riot in the mist of yet another full blown sneezing fit. She watched as he sneezed helplessly. They came about like rapid fire and he barley had enough time to take a breath between each one. He seemed powerless against the torturous experience. After the 10th one it seemed to stop. Riot groaned and looked up to see Minx in the doorway.  
"Bless you" she said with so much sympathy it hurt. He rubbed his nose and blinked back the resulting tears. "Thang you" he said and sniffed pitifully.  
She hated seeing him like this. she felt so bad for him. She made up her mind that no matter how mean Riot was to her she would be as nice to him as possible.  
"I brought you your soup. Do you want to try some now?"  
She sat on his bed with the bowl balanced on her knee and was about to start spoon feeding Riot when he looked at her with a concealed rage and said in a tone so icy it sent shivers down her spine.  
"I'm not a fking child...Ingrid!" He knew she hated when anyone used her real name and it amused him to see her eyes flash. Minx's temper could rival Riot's any day but when push came to shove, although a rare time it was, she knew when to control it. Now was one of those times. "No problem. Here you go" she handed the soup to Riot and high tailed it out of the room before she could say anything else.

"He's getting to you too? Isn't he?" Rapture smirked when she saw the look on her German friends face  
"He's impossible" She said through gritted teeth."but I promised myself I would be nice to him."  
"well I didn't" Rapture said.  
Minx did not like the sound of that at all.  
Having nothing to do until Riot next called on them they plopped in front of the T.V. and decided to watch the latest music videos. They always got a kick out of seeing their stuff broadcasted. They liked to keep up to date on what number they were at on the current countdown. They turned on the T.V to the video stationand began watching a segment called "way back play back" It was tracking the hottest disco from the 70's. The song " Turn the beat around" By Vicki Sue Robinson came on and immediately the two jumped up. " I love this song!" Minx cried and they turned it up and began dancing around the large living room.  
The television was turned up so loud that they did not hear Riot shouting from the next room.

Riot sat up in bed his head throbbing worse then ever.  
"Turn it down!!" He barked. He waited but nothing happened.  
"Didn't you hear me?" He shrieked his voice getting louder. " I said turn down the god dammed T.V!! Are you deaf??" His throat was scorching sore now. This only infuriated him more.  
He stormed out of his room and headed into the living room to give the two a decent tongue lashing. He went straight to the T.V and turned it off. And was about to rip into them when he opened his mouth to speak and...nothing came out.  
He tried again. His throat closed up and he began coughing. He swallowed again excruciatingly. "Why is the T.V so loud?' he rasped He meant to sound threatonging but it came out bearly above a whisper.  
"Riot! Your voice!" Minx was taken aback. "It's gone!"  
He was about to reply that 'of course it wasnt gone' but again he opened his mouth and tried but nothing came out. Absolutly nothing.  
This was not good. Not. Good. At. All


	8. Chapter 8

He placed his hand on this throat and swallowed thickly.  
Riot looked shocked. His eyes were wide with disbelief. Was this some kind of colossal joke? Things were just getting worse and worse. This wasn't funny anymore. He looked at Minx questioningly as if maybe she had the answer to this cruel farce. And why did he

suddenly feel so lightheaded,as if,he was ,going to,to His knees went weak and he stumbled. He grabbed the edge of the bookshelf nearest to him just in time  
Minx and Rapture rushed to him. "Are you OK?.You almost fainted"  
" Oh Riot Why are you out of bed?" Minx asked dismayed " Here let me help you" Too weak to argue Riot complied. What choice did he have?  
She let him put his weight on her as she led him back to bed. She tucked him in motheringly. " I bet that fictional bell is looking pretty good right now?" She smiled at their private joke.  
"The first thing I am going to do is get you some tea with honey for that throat of yours"  
Riot looked at her sadly unable to speak  
"Now, no fretting ok? If you listen to us you will get your voice back. You will. I know how strong you are" She looked at him seriously. She had so much love for him. For this band. As The Stingers they had gone through so much together and seen each other at their best and at their worst. In the end it just made them stronger. They were thick as thieves. They were a family. She looked at Riot with a gentle sternness "But please remember no talking. At least for now."  
Riot sighed heavily and nodded his agreement.  
She left his bed side and went about her promised task of procuring some tea with honey. For some reason she thought the golden ingredient would have an unusually profound effect

In his room Riot lay still. He wanted to get better and yet It went against his principles to accept help. He didn't need it. Not usually. Here he was sick as a dog and was he still going to deny the assistance that his band mates had bestowed upon him? It seem inane!  
He should be thankful. He was thankful.now the he realized it. It was just hard to show it sometimes. He decided right then and there to listen to everything they had to say.

At that revelation the phone rang. Rapture came bounding in the room. She picked up the phone with overwhelming eagerness. She smiled at Riot.  
"Hello" she said into the receiver. " Oh! Hi Jem!"  
Riot's eyes were a blaze of intense distress. It was Jem. Jem was on the phone!? Oh she cant see me like this he thought and then he realized how dumb that was. Of course she cant see me! But she cant talk to me either . I mean I cant talk to her!! Of all the times for her to call and she chooses NOW??  
Rapture was about to hand the phone to Riot who looked at it forlornly when she stopped. She covered the receiver "Oopps silly me. I forgot"  
Rapture was clearly enjoying the agony displayed on Riot's face. She turned back to the phone and said " I'm sorry Jem! Riot cant talk to you right now. Yes I'll let him know you called" She hung up the phone.  
"That was Jem. She said to let you know she called" she flounced out the room.  
He stared after her. Thinking of the billion things that he would have said to her were he well. How dare she take advantage of his weakness like this??


	9. Chapter 9

Riot fumed inwardly. He hated not being in control. And just to illustrate this fact , as if his thoughts manifested physically, again his cough surfaced. Coughing harshly into his fist he tried to resist at first as it was torturous on his throat. Soon though It became more persistent and he just gave in. The pain he felt was searing and yet there was little he could to to stop it . His throat felt like it was having it's own volcanic eruption. When the coughs subsided he swallowed regrettably and winced.  
Where was Minx with that tea? He lay there with his arms across his chest in a childlike huff . When he realized he was indeed fretting. He unfolded them conscious of what his, would be body language portrayed. He hadn't forgotten Minx's warning. How ever light it was. Nor had he neglected to remember the vow he had made for himself. He wanted to appear amiable and agreeable.

He waited. And then he waited some more. He found himself scowling as his patience was tried again. o. k. so this, was going to be harder then it seemed. He practised smiling in a gracious manor for when Minx would appear. He grew weary of the effort after a bit and just closed his eyes and rested his head on the pillow. In moments he was asleep.

Minx was in the Kitchen making Riot's tea and Rapture was keeping her company as the flirtatious Stinger puttered around in the unfamiliar kitchen

"So who was that on the phone." The Straight haired beauty asked.  
"Oh just Jem" Rapture said in an offhanded manner her eyes downcast. She looked up expectantly for Minx's reaction  
"Jem??"  
"Yeah" Rapture continued." And you should have seen Riot's face. It was priceless!!"  
Minx didn't like the way her friend seemed to delight in Riot's misery and told her so.  
"Oh Minx! It's not my fault if Jem called and Riot couldn't talk to her. I cant help it if he lost his voice."  
"We both need to make an effort to be nice. Ok?" Rapture shook her head and crossed her fingers behind her back " Ok!"  
"What did the Pink haired twit want anyway?  
"She didn't say. She just told me to tell Riot she called" Rapture was of course doing what she did best and that was lying! Jem had indeed mentioned why she called but she wasn't about to tell either of her band mates the truth. If Riot found out he would not be happy and the Stingers needed their strongest member to perform at the highly prestigious event. Something told her that Riot would not be so motivated to get well and attend the show if he knew the truth.

When the tea was ready the two women headed for their lead singers bedroom. They opened the door cautiously to find Riot asleep and soring ever so slightly. He looked so angelic. He was curled on his side clutching the comforter closely to himself his hair a mess of golden silk on the pillow. Although, only through his mouth due to blocked nasal passages, he was breathing easily and in a rhythmic fashion. He looked so peaceful. Minx was just about to suggest coming back shortly and leaving Riot to rest, when before it was too late to stop her, Rapture began to rudely shake Riot awake. "come'on now. it's time to get up." She cooed. Her voice was soft and melodic but did not match her actions at all as she jerked him from side to side. Riot groaned. He rubbed his eyes and looked at them still half asleep and confused.  
"We brought you some tea" Rapture explained happily " With honey!"  
She set it down next to the now empty bowl of soup. 'Huh' she remarked to herself 'So he did eat it after all'  
Riot sat up awkwardly he still felt weak and it was hard to support himself with his arms.  
"So how did you like the soup?" Rapture asked him knowing full well that he was under strict instructions to rest his voice. Riot just looked at her and cocked his head to one side as if to ask her 'Are you serious?'  
"Hold on" Minx said and ran out of the room. She came back with a pen and a pad of paper which she promptly handed to Riot. He smiled at Minx in thanks, using the one he had been rehearsing before he fell asleep. He picked up the pen and began writing.  
He turned it around to answer Raptures question. 'It was tolerable' He gave her an arrogant smirk, satisfied that he could still deliver a biting remark even without speaking then ruined the effect by sneezing. " Ah heh--Highnxt!!"  
"Bless you" Rapture said but somehow it came out sounding more like 'F-you'  
Riot didn't seem to notice but Minx did. "May I see you in the kitchen please Rapture"  
She said with supreme sugar. She turned to her ailing companion." I'll be right back Riot Dear" She turned on her heel and left leaving Rapture trailing after her.

"What now?" Rapture asked getting tired of Minx and her lectures on how to treat Riot. So what if he was sick? How did that give him the right to treat her like one of his pathetic followers? Maybe that stuff worked on weak willed people but she knew Riot too well to be at his beck and call like most. It would be different if he wasn't being such an ahole about it.  
" Just what do you think you doing?" Minx asked. Hands on hips she glared at Rapture.  
"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."  
" Cut the act Rapture. You know exactly what I am talking about!"  
"So what!" Rapture said her voice rising. "I'm through with being nice to Riot. I'm not a flunky and I'm not gonna be treated like one."  
"You are acting like a spoiled little brat"  
"Are you kidding me? If anyone is acting like a spoiled brat it's Riot not me!" Rapture paused. She looked at Minx intently. She couldn't understand why Minx would continue to let both her and Rapture be treated with such insignificance. Unless, And then it dawned on her  
"You're still in love with him aren't you?" Rapture said as she suddenly put two and two together.  
"what? Ohmigod! Don't you get it Rapture?! Riot.,Is., Sick." She spelled it out slowly as if she were a child incapable of understanding the simple concept. She looked at her friends black expression. Minx knew she wasn't getting though. Sometimes she could be so immature. Rapture was so used to being in the spotlight that when it wasn't on her she grew insufferable. Her schemes and tricks were just a tactic to attract the attention she so craved. Most of the time it was funny but at times like this her tendency to act out was completely unwelcome " I thought you wanted to help him get better? That's why we came here" Minx saidin a softer tone. She felt disappointed and betrayed.  
"That was before he started ordering me around like a dog"  
"Fine!" Minx said . She felt her temper surge."Then I guess there is no reason to be here. Just go home Rapture. Go home and sulk liked the child you are!"  
Rapture said nothing. She turned around and walked away,slamming the door with all her might as she left.  
Great! Now Rapture was pissed. She wondered if she would even show up to the concert if Riot did get well.  
Rapture had never done anything like that before so Minx was pretty positive that once she had some time to cool off things would be fine.  
Now that the mystically inclined Stinger had gone home Minx felt somewhat more at ease. The two girls were great friends, that was a fact, but it was clear she was only hindering Riots progress in the health department. Speaking of which she went to check on her patient.

She found Riot laying in bed looking like death warmed over. The back of his wrist was draped dramatically across his forehead. His eyes were closed and he moaned slightly. Really he was the 'perfect' picture of misery.  
"Rapture went home" Minx said breaking the silence. "I guess it's just you and me now. Do you want anything?"  
Riot mimed pointing a gun to his head. Minx grinned at his extreme request.  
"You don't want that do you? think of your fans. Why, it would be worse than Elvis" At this he smiled. He could never resist flattery. Minx was glad. What was that American expression again? 'Laughter was the better medicine?' Something like that anyway. And then to counteract the supposed progress a sudden chill ran through Riot and he shivered powerfully. He pulled the covers securely around him vibrating with the force of the chills "Have you had any of your tea yet?" Minx asked seeing his discomfort. He shook his head no. " You should try it before it goes cold" She picked it up from the bedside table and was about to give it to him, when he waved his hand to stop. She thought he was trying to decline her offer but it was just to delay it. She saw his eyelids flutter and snap shut. He took a few desperate gulps of breaths before , "AhehTIishchew!!" and as always again."HEHktikch!!" Sneezing was murder on his headache. With Each sternutative inflection he felt his head pulsate and pound. He kept his eyes closed after the last and began to massage his temples. He picked up the paper and pen again and wrote 'Aspirin?' He showed Minx. "Of course" She complied. She was just leaving the room when she heard the inhale beginnings of a sneeze so loud it was almost comical. " Ah, Ah... Ahhhhh--Chew!!" It sounded so cliche it seemed fake. She turned around "Bless you!" Riot rubbed his nose wearily and picked up the pad again to write 'Kleenex?' He looked pleadingly after her with teary eyes. "No problem. I'll be right back


	10. Chapter 10

Minx left the room to retrieve the blond singers requested items. She had definitely come prepared. Earlier in the afternoon when she and Rapture had gone shopping it seemed as if they cleared out the whole pharmaceutical section. Admittedly it cost a fortune but who cares they were just going to charge it to Stinger Sound anyway.

She grabbed a bottle of Tylenol , popped off the top , shook a pair of pills into her dainty hand and set them aside on a paper towel. She, then went through the various grocery bags until she found the ones that contained the 10 boxes of Kleenex they purchased. Given the siege Riot's nose was under she was glad she had bought such an exaggerated amount.  
Besides it wasn't on their dime. She knew that Riot had ways of fixing it so that it looked like they owed less then they did. With falsified records Eric Raymond was picking up the brunt of their tab. This tactic was used with everything from instruments to sound equipment to "business" lunches that cost hundreds. She remembered one time all three of them had gone out to the fanciest restaurant in town and ordered one of everything on the menu. The bill had come to almost $12000. They left most of the food behind of course. The point was it was just fun taking advantage of Eric. He was such a fool it was almost too easy!

She piled two tissue boxes on top of each other and balanced them in one hand. In her other she gathered up the pills and headed toward the direction in which much coughing was heard. It did not sound good. 'poor Riot' she thought. The fact that he felt terrible was obvious but Minx knew what was killing him the most was that he essentially was incapacitated. He was in a situation where he was completely powerless. And losing his voice well that was just icing on the rotten cake.

An image came to her mind of when she and Riot were dating. She recalled how once he sprained his ankle while ice skating He had so much pride that he insisted he was fine and had refused any help she tried to give him. He had limped all the way back to the apartment they shared. It was only when hours later when he physically could not walk more then 4 steps without screaming out in agony that he admitted something was wrong. Only then did he agree to go to the doctor and get checked out. But that wasn't the end of it. Oh no! He refused to keep his leg elevated and consistently tried to get up and test his manoeuvrability. He confessed how frustrated he felt over being immobilized and how that in itself was far worse then the extreme pain he was enduing at the time. She missed mothering him and caring for him and ........  
Wait a sec! Why was she thinking about this now. Her and Riot had long since been over! Drat! Why did Rapture have to go and bring up painful memories....she was not still in love with Riot. She wasn't. They were friends and band mates and that was it!!! It was! Really!  
Who was she kidding. When they had parted ways her heart broke in places she didn't know existed. She was so devastated. It had got so bad that she even considered quitting The Stingers. It was one of the hardest choices she had ever contemplated. But in the end she realized she was just being selfish. The group was a whole and it wouldn't have been fair to the others. It was then she kicked her infallible persona into high gear. She decided if she couldn't have Riot then she would just have ...well everyone else! Of course she wasn't trying to make Riot jealous! Not at all! well..........not much anyway. OK fine! She was and if she couldn't make him jealous well then "Lil Miss Pink b**ch" would do just fine. She was after all the lady of Riot's affections so pissing her off would be just as satisfying. And that was why she threw herself at Rio at every opportunity. Of course Riot had no idea that she still  
carried a torch for him and that was just fine as far as Minx was concerned.. She planned to keep it that way. No one knew so the fact that Rapture had suspected something really made her wonder if her friends supposed phychic abilities were just as act

Minx had never understood why they had broken up in the first place . They had so much in common. Riot's motives and determination mirrored her own. When she had first laid eyes on him she decided he was the most magnificent man she had ever seen. It was lust at first sight. And it was only after she had gotten to know him that her desire turned to actual love. When he started to pursue her she felt as if her heart would burst from their relationship she had felt the best she had ever felt in her whole life. When the band began to soar with popularity Riot called it off. He told her they were too similar and that it would look better to the masses if they both appeared single. Of course he stated a slew of other excuses. But he had made up his mind and no matter what Minx had said there was no convincing him otherwise.

Suddenly she felt the familiar sting of hot tears down her cheeks. The pain she had tried to put behind her was all coming back. She turned around and went the other way down the hall back to the kitchen. She set down the pills and ripped open the box of Kleenex. She dried her eyes, dabbed at her nose and gave a shaky sigh. She squared her shoulders and gained her composure then she gathered the items up again and went back to Riot.  
She knocked on the door out of respect and to announce her presence. She did not expect Riot to answer. After a moment she walked in.  
"Here you go" she said as she handed Riot the Tissues. She set the pills next to the tea. She placed her hand on the mug to test it's temperature and found it warm but not hot. It wasn't cold yet. Riot mouthed 'Thank you'. He tugged on a piece of Kleenex turned away slightly abashed and blew his nose and then tossed it into the waste paper basket by his bed. He sniffed a few times and turned back toward Minx who was sniffling slightly herself.  
Riot eyed her with concern. He handed her the pad.' I hope your not coming down with my cold' It said. She couldn't tell if he was actually concerned for her health or if it was the fact that if she did fall ill she wouldn't be able to continue her care for him. "Oh, I'm fine" Minx blushed. She hoped he couldn't tell she had just been crying." Don't worry about me. Thank you though." She set the pad down and picked up the pills and dropped them into Riot's outstretched hand. He swallowed them back with the tea.  
It was sweet with honey and just a bit tart from the lemon and quite honestly the best tea her could ever remember having. It did just the trick and seemed to soothe his aching throat instantly. He turned to Minx and smiled.

"You're welcome." Minx said responding to his silent thanks. They sat there is the comfortable silence that comes rich with history; coated with understanding and ease.

Sitting there enjoying each others company they were both lost in one another's thoughts. Riot sipped at his tea as Minx sat on the bed demurely, her legs tucked beneath her.

"Maybe this is good time to mention I plan on staying the night" Minx stated and then realizing how forward that sounded regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. She tried to recover by adding " Rapture was going to stay over too but ,,,well she left."

Riot seemed amused by this.  
"Do you really think I need a baby sitter?" He asked in a hoarse whisper forgetting to use his pen and pad.  
"No. But obviously someone has to be here to remind you to keep resting your voice"  
She said deliberately handed him back the pen with paper. He took it with a melodramatic sigh and wrote: ' Yes, Doctor.'  
Minx looked at the time it was 9pm. "I think it's time we both get some rest It's been a long day."  
Riot thought back over the events of that morning. In his mind it appeared so far away. It seemed almost impossible that less then 12 hours ago he was actually attending a business meeting at Stinger Sound. And now here he was laid up in bed with a miserable cold unable to go anywhere. Getting sleep was a good idea. He desperately wanted to get well. He needed to play that show. If it weren't for Jem he would have cancelled by now. But she was the sole motivating factor in his recovery.

"If you need anything at all Riot , I'm in the guest suite". Minx picked up the empty bowl and mug with plans to wash them before she retired to bed. "Sweet dreams." she called out softly as she closed the door gently behind her.  
She deposited the dishes in the sink and resolved to wash them in the morning.  
Then she went to her room, changed out of her "uniform" and into an old over sized Stingers t- shirt. She climbed into bed ,her head hit the pillow and soon after she was in the land of nod.

Riot unfortunately wasn't so lucky. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. He couldn't breathe. He sniffled a few times to try to clear the unending congestion and finally gave up and blew his nose. It helped little. It seemed to just plug up his sinus even more. His headache was returning as the medication wore off. Or maybe it never left in the first place.  
God he felt dreadful! At least Minx and Rapture were a distraction but now left all alone it seemed he felt his symptoms even more so. He felt his nose began to run and to exhausted to reach for the tissues he wiped it on the sleeve of his $5000 custom made yaki Tori Pyjamas. Oh this was a new low


	11. Chapter 11

He didn't even care anymore. He sneezed and then he coughed and then he sneezed again and again and yet again. Each one sounding more pitiful then the prayed for sleep just to have a temporary relief from all this misery! And at last when he felt he could bare it no longer he fell into a fitful slumber.

The next thing Riot knew he was being shaken awake. Only this time it wasn't by Rapture it was by Minx.

"Riot" she said with urgency " You've got to get up, the concert is in one hour!"

One hour??

"But today's only Wednesday. The concert isn't until this weekend." He protested. Woah! Hold on a sec!! He opened his mouth and sound came out! He could talk!??! His laryngitis was gone!

" You were kind out of it for 've been delirious with fever for the last day or so .It finally broke last night thank goodness. I was so worried about you!"

Riot had absolutely no recollection of anything. How odd.

At least he was feeling better. A little woozy but no worse for the wear.

Wow! Was he glad to be better.

Suddenly they were at the concert. How,,,,,,,,in the world,,,,? Maybe he was more unsteady then he thought. I mean he was still recovering, right?.

He was backstage in the dressing area when he looked down and realized he was still wearing his pyjamas. He went to look for his costume to change but the next thing he knew he was being pushed on stage. He walked on and looked around. He was alone. Where were Rapture and Minx? This was getting stranger all the time.

He could hear the crowd faintly calling his name

"Riot" "Riot" "Riot"

It became louder : "Riot!" "Riot!" "Riot!"

and then louder still..."RIOT!" "RIOT!" "RIOT!"

From somewhere off stage music started and he heard the opening cords of "Let me be"

He got ready to serenade the audience but when he opened his mouth nothing came out.

Until,,,,,,,, "AhhSHeew!!" "Hehchooo!!" "Ahh...hehhh Kchooo!!!!!" Oh no! Not here! Not now! "HHehUpChooo!!!" The tickle was maddening. "Heehhh,,,,,, HHaaahhh" He tried to hold them back but it was no use they were far too strong. "Heekahtchoo!!!, HehhhIIIshOO!!!, Hahchow!!, Heiii...HHeehhiiiii....IiiTISHOOooo....." and it just went on and on. He tried to pinch his nose shut. That was no help. He tried to run off stage but he was frozen to the spot. And he just kept right on sneezing. His nose showed no signs of stopping. In between feeling the need to sneeze , sneezing and getting ready to sneeze again he heard laughing. The crowd was laughing....AT HIM!!!!! He heard them chuckling and guffawing, giggling and snickering. And through eyes now watery he saw they were pointing as well!!

He wanted to yell at them to stop but he was sneezing far too much to utter a word..

Ohhhhh what a nightmare! And then he saw Jem. She appeared on stage and in the middle of this horrendous sneezing fit she started singing to him "This must be a night mare!" And all at once the holograms were there and joined in " Nightmare , nightmare" They chanted in unison.

It was only when Jem started laughing at him that Riot suddenly awoke. He found himself tangled, the sheets holding him hostage. He wrestled free. His heart was beating fast , he was covered in a cold sweat and as if reality was mocking him to his absolute horror he sneezed.

The sound was boisterous and crude against the silence and it echoed off the walls of Riot's over sized master bedroom.  
Riot sat motionless in the darkness. His breathing still laboured, he closed his eyes. His ears rang with a high pitched intensity that only comes paired with a nasty fever.  
His head felt like it was stuffed with a million pounds of feathers. Which was the only analogy he could come up with as he was oddly lightheaded and yet at the same time felt like his head was filled with thick cement.  
And the worst the absolute worst was that he was now,,,,,,,,,,,,,, AWAKE! He didn't remember falling asleep but he did remember what it was like trying. Not fun! l He lay back down and tried his very best to get back to bed. Miraculously this time he had no trouble.

Minx was awakend by the bright sun streaming though the window by her bed. She had slept soundly and woke up feeling rejuvenated, refreshed and ravenous. The last time she had sat down to eat was when Rapture and her had discussed their plan of attack for Riot over lunch. She got up and stretched. Then she headed for the kitchen. She opened the fridge and found nothing. The cupboards were no better. There was still Rapture's soup on the stove. Who ever heard of soup for breakfast? Oh well it would have to do. After all beggar's cant be choosers. She warmed it up in the microwave. When it was done she took it out and poured it in a bowl. It smelled totally Delicious and tasted even better. When she finished she washed that bowl and the other items from last night. She remarked to herself that if she was going to stay for the next couple of days she was going to have to go shopping to fill Riot's completely sparse pantry.

She wondered how he was doing and walked by his door. She was startled to hear him snoring loudly. Up until now she had never heard Riot snore 'God! He must have it bad' she thought to herself. Knowing he wouldn't be up for awhile she went into the living room and turned on the TV. This time she made sure the volume was very low. She stretched out on the luxurious white leather couch. It's surface felt cold and smooth against her bare legs and she propped them up on the buttery soft fabric. She began idly flipping through TV stations, not really caring what she watched. It seemed there was nothing Minx soon grew bored. she stood up and turned off the television. She went to the bookshelf. and looked through some of the titles: 50 prefect pasta dishes, sex and the perfect lover, The prefect choice, Be a perfect person in just three days, Perfect harmony,Teach your horse perfect manors ' .what? Riot doesn't even own a horse.'., The perfect drink for every occasion, Dead perfect,The perfect witness, The perfect potato: 100 fabulous recipes,Dinner with a perfect stranger, practise makes perfect,. and the list just went on and on. It was all she could do not to laugh. Sometimes Riot seemed so ridiculous it was unreal. She was sure that he had no idea how funny he really was and she was certain if she tried to tell him he wouldn't appreciate it one bit. It wasn't a bad thing really. But she knew he wouldn't see it that way. Riot took himself very seriously.

Minx decided on a mystery book called " The prefect crime" and settled back down on the couch. It wasn't too often that she had the time to just sit back and read and by the time she was into the 3rd chapter she found she was really enjoying herself. She scarcely noticed when it was already the afternoon. She closed her book and went to check on Riot. She figured he would be up by now but when she entered his bedroom all she found was a mass of blond curls atop his pillow. The rest of Riot was hidden somewhere deep inside a labyrinth of blankets and sheets. She tiptoed quietly out of the room not wishing to disturb him.

She went back to her room and got dressed. She put on a pair of extremely form fitting black pants. And a yellow tight fitting off the shoulder blouse that was tapered at the waist. Lastly her outfit just wouldn't be complete without her wide brim hat , indicative of some 40's film star. She set it on her head and stood back to admire the effect in the full length mirror. Ahh, she looked stunning. ' Well obviously.' Minx thought to herself.


	12. Chapter 12

The coughing she heard next was a signal that Riot was indeed awake. She went to his room and opened the door. Riot was sitting up in bed and coughing harshly into his fist. Minx sat beside him and began to gently rub his back. She remembered as a young girl back in Germany her mother used to do this when she had a bad cough and whether it actually helped or just felt soothing she didn't know but she thought of it fondly just the same.

Riot's coughs promptly stopped to both their relief.

"I was going to ask how you were feeling but I think you just answered my question" Minx said trying to swallow her concern and be lightheartedly. She looked at Riot and tried to gauge his reaction. His eyes looked dull. He was clearly not amused but he didn't seem angry either. He just seemed tired, downcast and well,,,,,,,,sick. She found the pad and pen before she asked her next question. She wanted to encourage Riot to keep his talking to a bare minimum. "Did you sleep well at least?" Riot shook his head wearily and wrote " Nightmares" on the sheet of paper. "I'm sorry" Minx said, though it was clearly not her fault.

Riot just sniffled quietly. An aura of gloom seemed to hang about his head. He was so forlorn. Minx's heart broke just looking at him. She picked up the box of Kleenex that was now on the floor by his bed and handed him a sheet. He took it and dabbed at his nose lightly. It was far too sore and he shuddered at the thought of actually blowing it. "I don't know about you but I'm starving. I'm going to go to the store to get some food. Is there anything you want while I am there?". Riot shook his head mournfully and crawled back into his blankets. He rolled on his side his back facing her. Minx stood there a moment feeling shunned. She turned with intent to leave but felt a slight hesitation. She turned back around " I'll be back soon" and said more to herself then to Riot. She left heavyhearted. It seemed there was nothing she could do to make Riot feel better.

Minx went shopping . Riot slept.

When Minx arrived back at Riot's she was absolutely famished. She opened one of the boxes of granola bars to eat as a snack as she put away the groceries. it was around 4pm at this point. She was about to start an early dinner but before she did she began making some tea for Riot. She figured he hadn't had anything to eat all day so she made some toast as well. She brought both things ( and a surprise) to Riots room on a tray she had found while putting stuff away. The lights were off. " Riot " She sang out " I've brought you some tea!" She set the tray down and turned on the lights. Riot's hand immediately rose to his face to shield his eyes from the light. He glared at Minx through splayed fingers." Sorry , did you want the lights off?" Minx quickly enquired. Riot said nothing. Minx turned off the lights. "I brought you some toast as well" she said in a softer tone." And a surprise!" She picked up the bell she had bought and shook it ever so slightly. It gave a quint tinkling sound. She thought Riot would be delighted but instead he just turned away again with his back facing her. "Go away." Riot's whisper was harsh "I just want to be left alone" Minx was completely taken aback. Here she thought she was doing something nice he would appreciate but instead he was making it clear that he obviously didn't care.

"Riot" Her voice was empathetic " You need to eat something."

At this Riot sat up stared at Minx with an annoyance he didn't care to hide. He grabbed the writing pad off his night table. He furiously scribbled his message out. He wrote it so fast and with such haste Minx could barley make out that it said 'I'm not hungry" when it was handed back to her.

"Well at least have some tea" She urged.

Riot looked at her flabbergasted. With pure exasperation, he snatched up the pad of paper once more. He wrote each word on a separate sheet ,showing them to Minx in succession. Lost in his rage he made a great flourish of ripping of each page loudly and thrusting them in her face with hostility. One by one.

The angry capital letters spelled out:

LEAVE.

ME

ALONE!

It took a moment to let Riot's harsh actions sink in

Minx decided then and there she had had just about enough of this. Maybe Rapture was right after all! Of course Riot was sick but that was no reason to act like THIS! She had fully gone out of her way for him. There was no excuse for this kind of behaviour. Her first feelings were furious but when she realized the full scale of his coarseness she suddenly felt overwhelmingly sad. She decided to stay with that emotion. After all being angry at someone rarely got you anywhere. Minx knew what tears did to men. She knew all the tricks to get the opposite sex to do things for her. She could manipulate the best of them. Including Riot. He didn't respond to anger and his often cold exterior rarely responded to waterworks but Minx knew just exactly how far to go to get the desired reaction from the blond singer.

She looked at him forlornly her eyes transforming to liquid sorrow "I'm sorry Riot" She said her speech quivering. " I didn't mean to make you angry. I just wanted to make you feel better. And now I've ruined everything. I've upset you and that was the last thing I wanted,,,, I ,,Just ,,,,want ,,,you to be,,,,,happy. " Her voice faltered as the hot tears raced down her cheeks. She hardly had to pretend either. She had been an emotional basket case since her blow up with Rapture.

Riot sighed. He looked at Minx trying now to hold back her tears but failing horribly and his

heart softened. He motioned for her to come near and he embraced her He stroked her hair . He could hear raiment's of weak sobs still inside her. Minx pressed up against him remembering the comfort of his his strong body. She pulled away with much reluctance. Riot sneezed suddenly then and it seemed startling in the midst of their silent heart to heart. He reached over to the now familiar box and took a tissue for himself and when he saw that Minx was sniffling profusely, he handed one to her as well. Humorously they blew their nose simultaneously

" I know you not hungry but you've got to eat something to keep your strength up" Minx said sensibly. She handed Riot the plate with the toast. He took the plate and looked down at it doubtfully. Then he looked at Minx.

"What?" Minx said ready for his protests. Riot cleared his throat. "Couldn't you think of anything more appetizing?

"when you sick you eat toast. It's *supposed* to have nothing on it"

Riot was going to speak again but thought better of it and took the pad to write : ' What about soup?'

The look on her face had guilt written all over it. She grimaced " I ate it." Again she apologized " I'm sorry. I was just so hungry this morning and you had nothing to eat. I could try making you some but I don't think it will be as good as Rapture's"

Riot picked up the toast, stuck it in his mouth and began to chew. It was like cardboard. Tasteless and bland. He swallowed with effort. He saw Minx watching intently. He gave her an unconvincing smile. Then he took the paper and wrote: " MMMMMM"

Minx laughed. "Remember your not just eating this for my sake. It's for yours too. Just think of when your well enough to see Jem at the concert. You can woo her with tales of how you overcame this terrible illness just so you could come and play her benefit. She'll love it." Jealousy aside Minx wanted Riot to recover in time and she knew humouring his obbesion for Jem could only do good

Riot remembered the night when he first found out his mother was in the hospital and how his vulnerability seemed to work as an intoxicant on Jem. 'Hmmm' Riot thought to himself He could just imagine the sympathy he was sure to get from Jem when he told her all about how sick he was and how he had braved this terrible virus just for her. Thinking about the imminent kindness his beloved would lavish him with almost made this horrendous experience bearable. He smiled to himself. "Im going to get somthing to eat myself. When I get back I hope to find your plate and cup empty" She finished off tentativly. She didnt want to push him as she knew how unpredicitble his emotions were at this time.

Minx went back into the Kitchen and went to work on whipping up a meal that was both fast and filling

Minx was just finishing off her dish of spaghetti and meat balls when she heard the jingling of a bell. Her eyes lit up at the prospect of Riot calling on her for help. Then she got scared. 'What happens if there was something seriously wrong? What if he was choking? What if he was bleeding? what if,,,,,' Her mind raced with all sorts of terrible things. " I'm coming Riot" She called. She burst through the door ready to be met with Riot's unfortunate demise.

Riot was sitting in bed smug smile in place and eyes dancing with amusement.

He picked up his ever faithful writing equipment. He wrote something and turned it round so Minx could see:

'It worked'

Minx grinned in site of herself.

" Is there anything you actually wanted?" Minx teased " I mean other then to see if I would be at your beck and call"

Riot nodded. He took to his pen and paper once more.

'Will you keep me company and watch T.V. with me?'

He looked up at her hopefully.

Minx was completely moved . It was such a simple and yet touching request "Oh Riot of course" Given the way he had been acting she wondered how long this nice streak would last

She got up on the bed and leaned back in a sitting position again the fluffy pillows.

Riot's bed was the same size as his ego. So it goes without saying that it was massive. Minx's lithe body fit comfortably next to Riot. With more then enough room to spare on the bed she wondered if she was too close but Riot didn't seem to mind.

They both decided on a TV Movie that was just starting. They tried watching it but every time something funny happened, Riot laughed and it turned into a coughing fit. The frequency of his sneezing didn't help either.

"HIIIiiiiETCHeooo!!!"

"Bless you"

"Hatch-CHEW!"

"Bless you"

"Ehh...Eh ...Eshoeow!!"

"Bless you!"

"Hitch-Choo...snob blessing be.!. Just wait *sniff* till I'b done" Riot sneezed twice more and made a sound that indicated he was clearly irritated. He felt drained and with no energy to sit up any longer he flopped back against the pillows.

" Ok" He said weakly "Dock yourself owd"

"what?" Minx asked. Since Riot wasn't talking that much it was hard to get used to understanding him through his congestion.

Riot was about to repeat himself when he realized he could just write down what he wanted to say.

" Bless you, Riot " Minx said tenderly when she saw his note. She handed him a tissue from the almost empty box. Riot took it and looked at it defiantly as if he was about to go to battle. He gave in finally and blew his nose. "Ow" He whimpered.

"Awwww" Minx cooed

"I'm sorry I'm such lousy company right now" Riot looked sincere

"Hush" Mind admonished. " You absolutely perfect company"

Riot would have said thank you but another coughing fit abruptly came about him.

The coughs sounded deeper and more serious then before. Minx tried rubbing his back again but the coughs would not stop this time. Minx felt more helpless then ever as she witnessed Riot try to gain control over this frightening coughing spell. It seemed like it lasted for ever and when it finally stopped Riot was left panting and desperate for breath.

Although he had been consistently sucking on throat lozenges Riot found they gave little relief. In fact, if anything his cough had worsened.

"I dont like the sound of that" Minx said worried.

Still trying to catch his breath Riot wrote ' I'll be fine' on a piece of paper. He stifled a few more coughs and tried to reassure his German bandmate. "Really" He said "I'm ok"

"Well I have something that may help" Minx left the room and went to the kitchen where the stash of "sick stuff" ,as she deemed it, was being kept. She chose some Vick's vapour rub and hurried back to Riots side.

Minx asked him to undo his robe and unbutton his shirt and fought back a blush at the sight of his well muscled chest. She took a seat beside him and opened the jar. She scooped out a thick blob of the ointment with her fingertips and began massaging it into onto Riot's throat and upper body. "Take some deep breaths. That way you can inhale the vapours directly into your nose too. That's supposed to help with congestion" Minx said while reading the instructions on the back of the jar.

"I don't thing thad will helb. I can'd sbell adythig" Riot complained

"Well it cant hurt"

Riot tried to breathe in deeply but found it was impossible. It only made him feel like coughing again.

" Did you want to watch some more T.V.?"

" I think I just want rest now" Riot said. He was making a considerable effort to be nice. He realized after making Minx cry just how insensitive he was being. Still he had warned her he wasn't a good patient. When he was left alone he could be as miserable as he wanted and not have to worry about hurting anyones' feelings

Minx agreed it would be a good idea to get more rest as it was his body's way of telling him to take it easy so it could shut down and heal.

She told Riot that if he needed anything all he had to do was ring the bell. Riot thanked her and in a rare moment of mush he explained how he really appreciated all she was doing for him.

Minx smiled and flirtatiously said " Of course you do Riot darling" She winked and left the room.

Riot was left alone. The silence of the room was comfort and he was thankful for the solidarity. He loathed being in such a position of weakness. Even in front of his own band members. He worked hard at making sure his essence of perfection was intact at all times. It wasn't easy. He had to watch how he looked ,what he said , what he did , what he wore. And along comes this *stupid* microbe to inflict all sorts of nasties on him!!! This minuscule microscopic bug , invisible to the human eye had the absolute gall to take up residence inside him. And he could do nothing about it. He despised how it reduced him to such a sniffling pathetic fool. His muscles still ached and his nose was the epitome of a leaky faucet. Swallowing was excruciating. His throat felt like it was encased in blistering flames. 'Was there no end to this torture??' He thought dismally to himself.

"HEHCHEW!" He sneezed violently. "GAH! Stop it!" He commanded his nose. And for the time being thankfully it seemed to listen. Even though he had spent the whole day in bed he felt overwhelmingly exhausted. He rubbed his eyes and closed them. It was getting harder to stay awake. With the way he felt now he was sure he would have no trouble falling asleep.

It was the sound of the bell the woke Minx up. She sat up in bed expecting to see the sun but when she opened her eyes the room was shrouded in darkness. She emerged from the guest suite confused and hazy as one often does when being awoken in the middle of the night. Her eyes were bleary slits as she made it down the hall to Riots room. Her hands darting in front of her in preparation for some unexpected collision with a foreign object.

She opened the door ready to play Riot's game of beck and call girl. She honestly wasn't expecting to find anything seriously wrong with him. So it came as a shock to her when she found Riot in bed, weakly calling her name. A sheen of sweat had formed on his forehead and his clothes were soaked in perspiration.

"Riot your drenched!" Minx exclaimed. She placed her the back of her hand on his cheek. His was obviously feverish and she could feel the heat radiating off him like a furnace.

"I don't feel well" He complained his voice was a frightening whine. The pitch was just enough to indicate that he himself was worried.

"we need to get you out of these ." She said indicating his clothes

"But I'm cold." he protested in a quiet was not at full strength yet and Minx could just barley make out what he said.

"Your cold because your clothes are wet. I'm going to find you another pair of pyjamas". She went though a few drawers before she finally found some. She helped Riot sit up and change his shirt. She pulled his pants off from the ankles and then placed each leg into the separate slot in the bottoms and Minx pulled them up. At this point he was far to delirious with fever to even care or notice his complete helplessness. Minx then went to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She took the bottle of Tylenol on the bed side table and dolled out two white capsules.

"Riot honey you need to take these"

"Hurts" He rubbed his throat.

"I know it hurts but you've got to take them.." She felt guilty enough for not monitoring his fever properly in the first place and she was going to make sure to take extreme care with it now. He took one pill from her and stuck it on his tongue. Minx handed him the water and he swallowed. He winched at the searing pain as the pill travelled down his throat. He followed suit with the second pill. He made a face and Minx could see how much he was suffering. Minx got up again and took the cloth and the bowl of water that both she and rapture had used to soothe his fever the previous day. She went to the bathroom and filled it with tepid water. She found Riot trembling with chills. She gently placed the cloth over his forehead. She heard Riot audibly such in air as the cool water met with his heated brow. "It's too cold. It feels like ice"

"Its not that cold. It just feels like that. Hun your body temperature is probably through the roof we need to bring down that fever of yours."

Riot said nothing and Minx was grateful for his compliance

Minx didn't leave Riot's side that night and continued to pat him down with water when he was too hot. Or bundle him with blankets if he got to cold.

And although in the past years Minx would have killed to spend another night in Riots bed this wasn't exactly what she had picture. Somehow though she didn't mind

Minx did not get a wink of sleep that whole night. She made sure to keep awake even when Riot slept fitfully. In the early hours of morning she found it was impossible to stay conscious any longer and she drifted off in a deep sleep.

Riot awoke to a completely adorable Minx. She was sleeping peacefully in a fetal position on top of the covers. Riot couldn't help remarking to himself how it reminded him of their early days on tour, when travelling by train made sleeping comfortably a luxury. He stretched like a big cat and yawned. It dawned on him suddenly that he was starving. Without thinking twice he got out of bed and made it over to the kitchen. He remembered Minx said she was going shopping and looked in the fridge for the proof. Sure enough it was loaded with food. Now although Riot was a snob about having gourmet chefs come to prepare his food that didn't mean that he couldn't cook. ' I mean really there was there anything he couldn't do?' The thought made him chuckle. ' Of course not' He answered himself internally. In fact he made an omelet so great he bet half the chefs he employed would beg him for the recipe. He searched for the eggs and some vegetables. and got out the frying pan.

With all these preparations and with the initial hunger that pulled him out of bed in the first place, he hardly noticed that his muscle aches were practically gone. Or that when he stood he didn't feel dizzy and he could for the first time in days breathe through his nose. He was concentrating too hard on creating a feast for him and Minx. About an hour later the table was set and breakfast of gigantic proportions was awaiting both the singers. Riot was about to wake Minx up so that they could both eat when she hurriedly came into the Kitchen.

"I heard a noise and ,,,,,,,,,,," Her voice trailed off as she saw the fantastic spread of food on the table. " What is this?"

" I was hungry and I decided to make us some breakfast" Riot announced proudly.

"Riot your sick. What are you doing out of bed?." She asked failing to notice his voice was back to normal. She reached up to feel Riots forehead. " Your fevers gone!" She said amazed. She stared at him in a quandary. His eyes were bright and clear. He looked completely refreshed and rejuvenated. If it wasn't for the stubble on his chin, and a slightly pink nose he looked like the Riot(!) the world knew and loved.

"I don't know what it is but I woke up this morning and I feel almost 100%. I guess it really does have to get worse before it gets better." He said, as he thought about how sick he had really been last night. It was as if, with his heightened temperature, he had detoxified himself of the virus through means of perspiration. Minx was overjoyed that he seemed well again but she was still concerned. She didn't want him to over exert himself and relapse

"Never the less Riot I still think you should take it easy today." Minx was stern.

"Very well Minx. I'll be in my room. You may serve me breakfast in bed when I ring for you."

He strolled out of the room with an arrogant stride. 'He's certainly back to normal alright!' She thought almost out loud.

Minx delivered Riot's meal as requested. She noted happily that his appetite had indeed returned. When he had finished she told Riot to stay in bed and she would do the dishes. He told her he had no problems with her suggestion of resting all day but first he desperately wanted a shower and shave.

After washing up in the bathroom he finally felt like his old self. Vanity intact, he scrutinized his appearance and frowned at the discoloration of his still raw nose. He applied an expensive moisturizer in hopes of repairing the chapped edges. He sighed and returned to his bedroom where he remained the rest of the day . He watched T.V. or browsed through the magazines Minx was thoughtful enough to obtain when she had gone shopping the day before. There was a photo editorial on Jem and the Holograms that he stared at dreamily. He was so looking forward to seeing her that weekend. In just two days. He was sure by then he would be fully recovered. All in all his cough was much more mild and he had only sneezed three times so far that day. He was actually surprised by the speed of his recovery. He had thought more then once, during his bout of ill health, he'd have to miss the concert. But thankfully those dark thoughts were behind him. He was in the pink so to speak. And it was exactly that colour that was filtrating thought his mind incessantly. He agonizingly went over what he would say to Jem when he saw her on Sunday. He pictured her voice, her face ,her body. How he long to possess her. 'She cant hold out much longer' He thought. Riot drifted into a delightful afternoon nap and this time all his dreams were pleasant.

At around 4pm Minx decided to head home. As much as she had enjoyed taking care of Riot she was anxious to get back to her own place. She felt far more relaxed as nearly all her concern for Riot had melted wasn't worried anymore about leaving him on his own. Riot walked her to the door as she said goodbye. He kissed her on the top of her head and thanked her again for "putting up with him".

"It was no trouble at all" Minx said pleasantly. She gave a gentle reminder against straining himself and told him she would see him in a couple of days at the concert.

He closed the door behind him and stepped back inside his condo. He went to his room and began planning what he was to wear the evening of their show. He had a few outfits in mind but he wanted to make sure he looked devastatingly handsome. especially for Jem.

The next couple of days passed slowly for Riot. He was bored. Keeping his promise to Minx he made sure to take it easy. That meant not going out and staying in all day. He grew restless so when the night of the concert finally arrived he was even more pumped then usual.

He dressed with care and took extra time with even the most minute details. He had narrowed this evening outfit down to two choices. They both seemed very period. One was a costume inspired very much by the 16Th century. complete with powdered wig , Stocking,heeled shoes and all. And the alternative , which won out in the end, was a pirate themed ensemble. The frock coat was made of a dark gold brocade. He wore fitted leather pants and and a white peasant shirt with a leather vest and matching boots. He toyed with the idea of wearing crystal encrusted eye patch but at the last minute decided against it.

He arrived at the the event looking unbelievably enchaining and of course as always he knew it

He swaggered past most photographers, posed for the lucky ones and made it past the hoards of fan without having to give even one autograph

Now in the convert hall and headed through the snake like passages that lead into the back stage area.

Now to Find Jem!

He keep his eyes peeled for any signs of pink. He walked through the maze like corridors on guard for any trace of her but he found no sign of the holograms lead singer. He passed by the Limp Lizards ,The 5th Avenue Boys and and Johnny Deacon but Jem was strangely absent. He made small talk with the lovely Miss Dark but he quickly cut the conversation short. He was a man with a misson

It was then he saw Rio! His hatred for the roadie forgotton he approched his rival with an assumed air of detachment.

"Have you seen Jem anywhere? I wanted to ask her somthing important." Riot tried to sound casual.

"Jem?" Rio said and forowned. " Shes not here. Shes not performing tonight."

**'SHE'S NOT PERFROMING????'**

At first Rio's words didnt regisiter. And then when they did they echoed inside his brain in a seemingly endless loop. He felt the colour drain from his face.

"What?" Riot asked. He could hear the urgency in his voice but he didnt care."Why not?"

"I thought she phoned everyone and told them" Rio tried to expalin. Riot took a deep breath. "Told everyone what!?" Riot questioned sharply

" She's really sick. She came down with that bug thats been going around. I fuguired you knew. She phoned all the performers to tell them "

"But I didnt get any message........." Riot's voice trailed off. And as the realization dawned on him his eyes widned and then became dangerous slivers. "RAPTURE" He hissed.

He felt an uncontolable rage boil inside of him. He was more then furious he was livid. He felt as if were going to explode with anger. 'This whole time , this WHOLE time she knew. She knew Jem wasnt coming and she LIED to him. Hadnt he gone through he had gone through hell and back just so he could come to this show and see Jem. He had practially willed himself well again and for what ? Jem wasnt there. Jem wasnt coming. That was the only thing that had kept him going as he lay pratically on his death bed. NO! This was unacceptable.' Seething with emotions reserved for the mad he stalked down the winding halls heading for The Stingers dressing area! He couldnt wait to give her a piece of his mind

Rapture sat miserably at the make up table in the brightly light dressing room, nose streaming , head pounding and wishing she had just stayed in bed. It was yesterday when it hit her. Out of nowhere she felt tired and dizzy and it just progressively worse from there. It was Riot's cold alright! Complete with copy cat symptoms right down to the muscle aches to the unending sneezing fits. The only thing she didn't have was the laryngitis . Not yet anyway. She glanced in the mirror and wrinkled her nose in disgust. It waslooked red and were dark circles under her eyes and her hair looked as if her cat thought it was it's new toy. She had tried putting on make up but she just kept sneezing and smudging her eye liner. Not to mention her eyes were watering so much there was no point applying mascara. Rapture had stayed in bed all day hoping to feel well enough to perform in the evening's benefit show. Although she slept the whole afternoon she had awoken feeling worse then she had before . It was as if the virus inside her sensed her guard was down and chose then to invade fully. She truly felt terrible and it was at the moment she realized just what torture Riot had actually gone through. A wave of guilt washed over her as she recalled how poorly she had treated him. She thought about how rude she had been to Minx as well and shrank inside herself with shame.

Her self pity party was interrupted by a member of the hospitality crew asking her if she needed anything. "Doe thag you" She replied congestedly. She picked up a tissue and blew her nose loudly.

"Wow that's a nasty cold you've got there" Replied the young man sympathetically.

Rapture looked at him with intensity. " Its not a cold. It's a rare disease called makabrer Witz-itis. It's from a forgotten region of Africa where they practise a forbidden form of voodoo. That's how I caught it. It's very unpleasant and highly contagious". She coughed intentionally. " Oh did I mention it's fatal as well?! Atchew!!" She sneezed in an exaggerated fashion and laughed inwardly when the mans eyes grew wide with terror. He left shortly after. At least they wont bother me now she thought with satisfaction.

Rapture had brought with her some supplies with the hopes they would provide some relief ,at least temporarily. The truth was she dragged herself out of bed that day because she knew how rotten she had been and she really wanted to make it up to Riot and Minx. She figured she would grin and bear it for their sake. She knew how important this concert was and she didn't want to ruin it for The Stingers.


	13. Chapter 13

Riot stormed into the dressing room just as Rapture was securing the blanket she taken from home around her shoulders. She was sitting on a chair and had placed her feet into the bucket of steaming hot water in front of her. With the addition to the thermometer in her mouth, It was a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

Riot looked around the room. Odd shaped bottles were open by the sink, Candles lined every inch of the counter top and the place smelled like an occult shop. For a moment Riot forgot what he come to say in the first place.

"What on earth is all this?" Riot asked angrily. " And what is that awful stench?"

"Riot!" Rapture cried happily taking the thermometer out of her mouth" I'm so happy to see you. Those are the healing candles. They are supposed to release a medicinal essence into the air. Only I cant really smell it. "

"Well be thankful for that!" Riot turned to his whimsical band mate and smiled condescendingly " Do you know I just ran into Rio?" He asked without waiting for an answer he continued " And do you know what he told me? He told me ......."

" Wait!" Rapture said " I know what your going to say. And I know I lied"

" Don't interrupt me Rapture! When I am speaking to you I expect you to listen." His emphasis was on the last word. He began speaking again only he was interrupted again only this time by Raptures coughing.

"Stop that!" Riot commanded.

"Riot ,," She gasped between coughs.."I'm sick. I cant 'stop it' "

"Well try! We can discuss that after. You lied to me Rapture. Why didn't you tell me Jem wasn't coming to the show? You knew how important it was for me to see her here. How could you betray me like that? "

Rapture rubbed at her nose it was running again. She sniffled a few times and then explained " Riot I am so sorry I lied. I really really am. I just thought if you knew Jem wasn't going to be here then you would lose all your motivation to get better. I didn't want us to miss this opportunity. I did it for The Stingers. Please don't be mad at me Riot. I don't think I could bare it! "

Riot looked at her. She seemed genuine in her confession. He considered what she had said. It was, he supposed an adequate explanation for her less then satisfactory actions.

"I am still not happy you lied to me but at least I can understand why you did." Although Riot got angry easily his temper usually cooled down shortly after. It was the classic example of "his bark is worse then his bite"

" I really am sorry" And she looked it too. Her eyes were downcast she seemed truly remorseful. She removed her feet from the pail and slowly got up. She walked to where Riot stood and put her arms around him for a fierce hug. "I see your feeling better too" She remarked. " I knew my medicine would work. Too bad I left it at your place I could really use it right about now" Riot thought about that. All this time he had just assumed it was his own doing that had given him such a shockingly quick recovery. He then remembered Minx telling him how well that serum had worked on her as well. 'Well points for Rapture on that one' He thought his earilier anger slowly fading.

Rapture went to the nearby shelf and took a tissue just in time to,,, " EtiiiHHSOOoo" She sneezed wetly into it. She sighed and all at once she sneezed again. " HHiiiitCheww!!" And if she thought it was just going to stop there she was sadly mistaken. "'TishChoo!!" "ATTTISSwhoo" "AT-Chew!!" With each one she felt weaker and weaker. Her energy already depleted it seemed her last once of strength was spent. She made it over to the couch and tumbled into it. She sat holding her head between her knees.

" Ohhh" She moaned " I feel wretched"

"I can see that" Riot said pointedly

" I bet you think I deserve this after how I treated you"

" Rapture" Riot said kindly" If you feel even half as bad as I did , I wouldn't wish it on my own worst enemy"

"Dot evend Rio? You dow I could sdeeze a few dimes in his direction" She joked

" Hmmm... Maybe that's not a bad idea" He said and they both laughed. Which resulted in more heady coughing from Rapture.

The door opened then and Minx walked in to the sounds of hacking." Rapture that's YOU??" She asked in disbelief. " I thought it was Riot"

" It seems as if our lil Rapture has caught cold as well" Riot said. " Not to mention Jem!"

" What? Jem is sick too??"

"Yes. Rio just informed me of this. It seems she called everyone and gave them a message that she would be absent only somehow I didn't get it" He looked over at Rapture but didn't say anything.

"Ohh Riot I'm sorry" Minx said although she was not. She hated seeing how Riot gushed over Jem.

"And Rapture you look awful. Are you feeling alright?"

" Oh Minx never mind about that. I really have something important to tell you. I thought about it over the past few days and I don't know why I was so mean to you. I feel really horrible about what I said to you. Can you please forgive me"

Minx was so relieved. Rapture was her best friend and their fight had been praying on her mind ever since. " Of course I can darling. And I said some things that weren't very nice either so if you can accept my apology then were even"

The two girls embraced. Rapture pulling away quickly to sneeze yet again.

"Oh god" She whined. " I thing Ib dyeig" Minx got up and brought her the box of Kleenex. Rapture smiled thankful and gathered up a bunch of tissue to blow her nose at a thundering volume. It didn't do much good as she still sounded congested when she next spoke " Wed is our sound check?" She asked

"Sound check...?" Minx questioned " Rapture have you heard yourself. You can barley speak let alone sing"

"Bud ...Ib sure ..I cad...." Her voice gave out and when she began coughing again she knew what Minx said was right. She was in no way fit to go on that night.

" Minx is right. We will just have to tell them we cant perform tonight. I am sure they will understand."

"I ab so sorry you guys. I cab here ready to preforb. I didn't dow it would ged this bad"

" We know" Minx said reassuringly." Just rest now" Rapture lay down on the couch and Minx brought over the blanket Rapture had been wearing and tucked it around her. Rapture snuggled underneath and closed her eyes.

" Now what?" Minx said looking toward the band's leader.

"Well what else can we do. I'll go tell Rio what happened and..." He stopped as he looked at Minx pleading eyes.." OK fine YOU go tell Rio whats happened. I think we should wait till our set to go home. I want to at least make a public apology"

"OK..I'll let Rio know" Minx said with a wink. With Jem out of the way she couldn't wait to work some magic of her own on the handsome roadie.

Minx left Rapture and Riot alone.

Riot thought over the events of the past few days. How horribly sick he was. How excited he had been to see Jem after he had recovered. The disappointment he felt when he leaned she wasn't there How angry he had been at Rapture for lying. It was alot to take in. He looked over at Rapture sleeping like a baby. He was impressed that although she was clearly ill she still was loyal enough to show up tonight . That meant alot. He was fiercely protective of his band members. He hated to cancel a concert but in the end Raptures health meant more. And really it wouldn't have looked very good on The Stingers part to have Rapture up there coughing and sneezing between and probably during each song. It was the right choice to back out. He amusingly thought of how Minx was using her feminine wiles on Rio right now. He often wished Rio would just dump Jem and go after Minx and then Jem could be his and his alone. Thinking of Jem again brought forth to mind the calamity of this night. There would be other chances he was sure. In the meantime he would send her flowers and a get well card. Perhaps cholcolates as well.

Rapture stirred in her sleep and he remarked how lucky she was to have Minx and him to care for her. Just as he had been so lucky to have Minx. The bonds that held this band together ran deep. Bound eternally by the music they created. The Stingers were much then a musical gorup they were kindred spirits. He knew this expereinces would only strenthen their relationships to one another. He had forgiven Rapture and given what he knew from his recent ailment he could just imagine how she was going to feel when she woke. Ohh it was going to be a long next couple of days. He sighed. no matter he was up for the challange


End file.
